Canon Ixus 870

Admittedly, appearance should be one of the last factors considered by prospective camera buyers but there is no doubt that the Canon 870 is a fairly attractive piece of technical equipment. Also available is the "gold" finished version, which looks almost like a piece of jewellery. In terms of size, it's about the same as a pack of playing cards, which means it fits easily into a pocket or handbag.

Beneath its good looks, the Canon Ixus 870 packs serious photographic technology. A wider angle of view than most of its competitors is due to the lens being the equivalent of a 28mm-112mm lens. Previously only available on high-end models is Canon's image-stabilization technology. Now also a feature of the Canon Ixus 870 IS, his means that with a bit of effort you can produce acceptably sharp images without a tripod down to about 1/25 of a second.

Also available in the Canon 870 is automatic face detection. This works well and also is able to detect faces in partial profile. A face self-timer function, although a bit gimmicky waits until you join the group before taking the photo. It has 19 scene modes as well as a handy macro setting and a 30fps VGA movie mode.

The Canon Ixus 870 IS boasts Canon's DIGIC 4 processing technology that promises less noise at higher ISO settings but still there is much noise at 1600 ISO which is not-bad considering the class of camera.

Take fabulous shots of majestic landscapes and awesome group shots with the Canon Ixus 870 IS and it's 28mm wide-angle lens. Viewing your favorite photos has never been so good with the awesome 3.0 inch PureColor LCD screen.

It's not a "serious" Canon Digital camera in the usual sense and no one is going to mistake the Canon 870 for one. For example, you won't find an optical viewfinder or manual mode. But no biggie if all you want are fabulous photos, then this camera won't disappoint.